Antifreeze Poisoning

Overview

Antifreeze is a liquid that prevents the radiator in cars from freezing or overheating. It’s also known as engine coolant. Although water-based, antifreeze also contains liquid alcohols like ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and methanol.

Propylene glycol is also an ingredient in some foods and cosmetics. It isn’t considered harmful in small amounts, according to the .

On the other hand, ethylene glycol and methanol are hazardous and poisonous if ingested.

It only takes to poison the human body and cause life-threatening complications.

There are different explanations for why someone might ingest antifreeze. One reason is intentional self-harm. But it’s also possible to accidentally drink the chemical. This can happen when antifreeze is poured into a glass or another type of drink container and mistaken for a beverage. Given this possibility, it’s important to recognize symptoms of antifreeze poisoning.

What are the symptoms?

Antifreeze poisoning can happen gradually over several hours, so you may not have symptoms immediately after ingesting the chemical. If you feel fine, you may even brush off the incident as nothing more than a close call. But the situation isn’t that simple.

As your body absorbs or metabolizes antifreeze, the chemical is converted into other toxic substances such as:

glycolaldehyde

glycolic acid

glyoxylic acid

acetone

formaldehyde

Your body slowly begins to react to the antifreeze in your system. The time it takes for the first symptom to appear varies. It depends on the amount swallowed.

The earliest symptoms can develop 30 minutes to 12 hours after ingestion, with the severest symptoms starting about 12 hours after ingestion, according to the . Early symptoms of antifreeze poisoning may include an inebriated feeling. Other early symptoms include:

headache

fatigue

lack of coordination

grogginess

slurred speech

nausea

vomiting

As your body continues to break down the antifreeze over the next several hours, the chemical can interfere with your kidney, lung, brain, and nervous system function. Organ damage can occur .

When to get help

Get immediate help if you or another person ingests antifreeze. It doesn’t matter if it was only a small amount. The sooner you get help, the better the outcome.

If you feel fine and you’re not sure if you ingested antifreeze, you can call Poison Control and speak with a poison specialist for further instructions. The national toll-free number in the United States is 800-222-1222.

What’s the treatment?

Once you arrive at the hospital, tell the doctor:

what you ingested

the time you swallowed it

the amount you ingested

The hospital will closely monitor your condition. This is because antifreeze can affect different parts of your body. A doctor or nurse may check your blood pressure, body temperature, breathing rate, and heart rate. They may perform a variety of tests to check the level of chemicals in your bloodstream as well as your organ function. These tests might include:

blood tests

urine test

chest X-ray

CT scan to get images of your brain

electrocardiogram, which measures the electrical activity in your heart

If you’ve ingested antifreeze, your doctor will begin treatment even if you’re not showing symptoms or only showing mild symptoms.

An antidote is the first line of treatment for antifreeze poisoning. These include either fomepizole (Antizol) or ethanol. Both drugs can reverse the effects of the poison and prevent further problems, such as permanent organ damage.

Even though fomepizole can , ethanol is an effective option when fomepizole isn’t available. The hospital may administer this medication intravenously, or through an IV.

If you don’t get immediate help, antifreeze poisoning can decrease kidney function, causing an inability to urinate or low urine output. In the case of poor kidney function, your treatment may also consist of dialysis.

Dialysis is when you’re hooked up to a machine that filters your blood and removes toxins from your bloodstream. Depending on the level of kidney damage, dialysis may be a temporary treatment or a permanent one. If temporary, it may take to recover kidney function.

If you also experience breathing difficulties due to severe poisoning, the hospital may administer oxygen therapy or sedate you and insert a breathing tube down your mouth into your throat.

What’s the outlook?

With early intervention, medication can possibly reverse the effects of the poisoning. Treatment can prevent kidney failure, brain damage, and other permanent damage to your lungs or heart. If left untreated, severe antifreeze poisoning can be fatal .

Remember, it only takes a few hours for serious symptoms to develop. Don’t delay treatment.